Game



I. E. MANN.

GAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 192].

1,41 1,574. Patented Ap1n4, 1922 M o v 5 F v a 7 JamesErmsZMaa'm i I w zwyiz fi fiyw w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES ERNEST MANN, OF SALEM, .MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO PARKER BROTHERS, INC., 01? SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Application filed M03 25,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES EnNn-sr MANN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Games, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to gan'ies and more particularly to games wherein pieces or blocks, preferably cubical, are employed having letters upon their several faces, preferably spelling a word and adapted to control or determine the movement of pieces upon or about a board.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. l is a plan view of a board. having spaces, which is merely typical. of the use or adaptation of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the cup or holder that may be employed;

Fig. 3 is a view of the pieces or certain thereof that may be employed in playing the game; r

Fig. 4: is a plan view of the blocks which in the present instance are six in number; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the blocks.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I have indicated the board at 1. It may be of any suitable character, and dc sirably is a folding one, though this is i1umaterial so far as the principle or adaptation of my invention is concerned. The board is provided with any suitable number of spaces, which in the present instance are indicated generally at 2, and in this embodiment of the invention. are arranged as an ellipse like an ordinary race track, the start and finish being indicated at 3. It is, however, to be understood that the spaces may be arranged in any suitable way so long as the pieces can be moved from the space or spaces where the game is commenced to the finish. It is not essential to the principle of the invention that the pieces of the several players move over the same track or course, as within the scope' and purpose ofmy invention, the pieces may be moved as desired provided Specification of Letters Patent.

the blocks or members indicated at 4: in

Patented Apr. 4, 1922. 1921. Serial No. ive r07.

the movements arecontrolled by throws. of Figs. l and 5.

In accordance with the broad principle of my invention I provide blocks 4;, which are desirably, but not necessarily cubical, and desirably upon each of the faces of each block I place a letter, which desirably to gether form a word. vVithin thescope and purpose of my invention, one or more of the faces of each block may be left blank or contain some matter which is other than a letter. lVhile the letters are desirably so selected as to combine into a word, it is evident that within the principle of my invention, the letters may be certain consecutive letters of the alphabet, as, for example, A, B, C, D, E and F. Desirably the letters of each block form a word and in the present instance, they spell the word MOVIES. I may, however, select letters spelling some other word, such, for example, as the word PONIES, it being noted that the drawing represents a horse racetrack. In the event that one of the faces of each block is left blank, it is evident that where the blocks are cubical, there would. be but five letters employed which may spell a word,such, for example, as MOVIE .or HORSE. It is within the scope of my invention to leave more than one face of each block blank, and particularly if the block have more faces than six. 1

Assuming for example, that cubes are used and five of the faces are provided with a letter, the sixth space may contain some emblem or other mark, such, for example, as a star, the significance of the star or other maria; when shown implying, for example, the right to another throw of the blocks, or an extra move forward of one piece or some other privilege having to do with the moving of the pieces upon the board or the throwing of the pieces. These and other advantages are all within the scope and spirit of my invention, since so far as I am aware, the principle herein set forth is an entirely new one in governing the moves upon a board or like game spaced for the moving of pieces.

Other variations of the principle of my invention may be made.

The pieces are indicated at 5 inFig. These may be of any suitable character, and any suitable number may be used. I have herein represented two, but four are desirably provided, and thus, two, threeor four players may take part in the game, or the game may be played as a solitaire game.

At 6, I have represented a cup or holder in'which the blocks may be assembled and from whlch they may be discharged after the manner, of dice.

. "Whlle rules governing the game may be variously formulated, preferably and assuming to the left. The letter-Gil must always appear to make any count, it being the first letter of the word MOVIES. It the lot or 0 also appears, the player moves two spaces; it V appears three spaces, and so on. Onl one movecan be made for each letter. I n other Words, in order to move six spaces, it is necessary for all six letters to appear at one throw. In commencing the play, all the blocks at are placed in the cup or holder 6, and the blocks are shaken and thrown onto the table. The play is made according to the number of letters that ap pear forming the word MOVIEt and these letters must appear in consecutive order to count. It, for example, a player throws MOIIES, he would move two spaces only, because he has gotten an M and an O and no V. If he throws MEVIES, he can only move one space, as no letter appears in consecutive order with the letter M. To have theletter V count, it would be necessary for an O to' appear in this throw. In other words, the letters must appear in consecutive order to count. can be made. If a laver throws all six let-- tors of the word OVIES, he is entitled to move his playing pieces six spaces. Only one throw of: the blocks is permitted each pie or in turn. The person first getting his or or piece into the space at the center of the board or such other space as may be determined according to the spacing of the board, Wins the game.

The home space must, however, he

reached by an exact throw of the blocks.

If aplayer' should be on a space which is three from the home, he must throw an M, an O and a V to reach home. If the letter I also appears in that throw, the player loses his turn, as this would make a four space move necessary. If, however, the

throw shows the letter M or the letters M and 0, he is entitled to move one space in t-he'former case and two in the latf So far as I am aware, I am the first to em- If no letter M is thrown, no play descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims: 7

1. A game having one or more pieces to be moved about a spaced board or the like, and a series'ot blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said piece or pieces, each of said blocks having a single letter upon each face, the letters 11 on all the faces of each block bearing a pre etermined relation to each other and the letters upon all the blocks being the same.

2. A game havingone or more piecesto be moved about aspaced board or the like, and a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said piece or pieces, each of said blocks having a letter upon each face, all the letters upon all'the faces of each block collectively spelling a word.

A game having one or more pieces to be moved about a spaced board or the like, and a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said iece or pieces, each of said blocks having t e same number of faces and each face bearing a lettcr, all the letters of each block collectively spelling a'word.

4. A game having one or more pieces to be moved about a spaced board or the like, and a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said piece or pieces, each of said blocks being cubical, and each face of each block bearin a letter, the said letters upon each block earin a sequential relation to each other, the let rs upon all said blocks being the same.

5. A game having one or more pieces to be moved about-a spaced board or the like,

and a series ofblocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said piece or pieces, each of said blocks having the same number of faces and the corresponding faces of the seriesof blocks bearing the same single letter, the letters ofeach block bearing a sequential relation to each other.

6. A game having one or more pieces to be.

moved about a spaced board or the like, and

a seriesof blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the'movements of said ieee or pieces, each of said blocks having t e same numberof {aces and the corresponding faces of the series of blocks bearing the same single letter, the letters of each block spelling a word.

7. A game having one or more pieces to be moved about a spaced board or the like, and a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said piece or pieces, each of said blocks being cubical, and the corresponding faces of the series of blocks bearing the same single letter, the letters of each block together spelling a single word.

8. For use in playing a game wherein pieces are moved, a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said pieces, each of said blocks having the same number of faces, and each face bearing a single letter, the letters of each block hearing the same sequential relation among themselves as exists among the letters of each the other blocks.

9. For use in playing a game wherein pieces are moved, a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said pieces, each of said blocks being cubical and bearing a single letter upon each face, the lettering being the same upon all the blocks and the combined letters of each block spelling the same single word, that is characteristic of all the blocks. 7

10. For use in playing a game wherein pieces are moved, a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said pieces, each of said blocks being cubical and each block bearing the letters M O V I E S, one only of said letters appearing on a single face.

11. A game having one or more pieces to be moved about a spaced board or the like and a series of blocks adapted to be thrown to determine the movements of said piece or pieces, each of said blocks having a single letter upon each of a plurality of faces, the letters upon the several lettered faces of each block collectively spelling a word.

12. A game having a board with spaces adapted for the movement of pieces thereon, and a set of blocks adapted to be thrown to govern the movement of said pieces, each of a plurality of faces of each block of said set having a single letter thereon, said letter differing from the other letters upon that block, the said plurality of letters uponeach block spelling a word, which is also spelled by the said letters of each of the other blocks, the said blocks being adapted to be thrown and the letters appearing uppermost when the blocks are thrown, governing the play and the movement of the pieces about the board.

13. A game having a board with spaces adapted for the movement of pieces thereon, and a set of cubical wooden blocks adapted to be thrown to govern the movement of said pieces, each face of each block of said set having a single letter thereon, said letter dif fering from the other letters upon that block, the said plurality of letters upon each block spelling a word, which is also spelled by the said letters of each of the other blocks, the said blocksbeing adapted to be thrown and the letters appearing uppermost when the blocks are thrown, governing the play and the movement of the pieces about the board.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES ERNEST MANN. 

